The local motorcycle industry offers several highway-approved scooters that are perfect for busy city streets or for exploring less stretched provincial roads. Last October, TRB expressed interest in lowering the minimum displacement requirement for motorcycles, highlighting technological advances that already allow motorcycles with smaller engines to easily maintain highway speeds. “As far as the Toll Regulatory Council is concerned, motorcycles with a cylinder capacity of less than 400cc are [still] prohibited on all highways.” The TRB is the government agency that regulates all toll roads and restrictions in the Philippines. This low-cost, highway-homologated motorcycle has a 373 cc engine connected to a six-speed gearbox. This configuration allows the Dominar 400 to achieve a decent maximum power of 40 horsepower with a maximum torque of 35 Nm. The main reason why only 400cc motorcycles are allowed on highways is mainly due to safety concerns. However, the local motorcycle landscape continued to grow, especially the segment that gave people more freedom on the road. Today, we`re going to look at some of the legal highway bikes you can buy here in the Philippines. Okay, this doesn`t quite apply to us, as motorcycles under 400cc are not allowed to enter local highways, but this road test of the Yamaha YZF-R3 – a sports bike powered by a 321cc engine – raises the question of whether or not the sub-400cc rule should be reconsidered. For your information, the review was conducted in Atlanta. After all, as a responsible motorcycle owner, it`s your duty to know if the vehicle you have is worth being on the highway. If you have doubts about the fact that the displacement of your motorcycle is 400cc, and worse, you do not know where to look, never hesitate to ask for help from the competent authorities. I am worried long na baka ma submerge kasi ako kapag high displacement agad.
But I also don`t want to buy a low-cc motorcycle, to possibly replace the Makapag highway after a year of long para. Although many of these accidents occurred on arteries, more and more motorcycles crossed major highways. The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has warned against motorcycles with a displacement of less than 400cc entering or using highways. He called on operators of all major toll roads to strictly enforce the ban on the mentioned motorcycles. According to departmental regulation 123 of the Ministry of Public Works and Roads, only motorcycles with a cylinder capacity of 400 cc may be used on toll roads and restricted access highways. The order was issued to ensure the safety of commuters crossing all major highways in the country and calls on the public to be vigilant against violations of the ban. If you don`t have to use the highways on your route, it`s best to have a bike with a smaller displacement. Otherwise, consider a car that only drinks gas on a tiny portion.
Another popular highway option in the Philippines is the KTM Duke 390. The naked motorcycle has a 373.2cc engine mated to a six-speed gearbox that produces about 44 horsepower with about 37 Nm of torque. The highway ban dates back to the 1960s, when a police motorcycle escort for U.S. President Richard Nixon was involved in a fatal crash on the South Superhighway, now called SLEx. That fateful day prompted the DPWH`s predecessor, the Department of Public Works and Communications, to issue an administrative order declaring toll roads “restricted access roads,” which included a complete ban on all types of motorcycles, regardless of their movement on toll roads. Among the fatalities, motorcyclists were the most often injured with 154 of the 221 deaths. Although many of these accidents occurred on arteries, more and more motorcycles crossed major highways. For example, Yung Yamaha YZF R3 (321cc), Kawasaki Dominar 400 (373.3cc) and Kawasaki Ninja 400 (399cc) are all listed as 400cc motorcycles. Dahil lang ba mai 400 sa Name considered na silang highway-legal? How can law enforcement even determine if a motorcycle is highway/400cc legal or not, kabisado ba nila ng ng-motorcycle specifications mga? I hope someone can help you.
“Pinapalusot na daw po talaga nila (Highways) ang R3, Ninja 250 [at] RC 200, (Toll roads now allow entry to Yamaha R3, Kawasaki Ninja 250 and KTM RC 200 models),” reads the message, which was forwarded to us by one of our concerned readers, who wished to remain anonymous. He added in Filipino that toll roads are allowed as long as the motorcycles look like a fully faired sports motorcycle and there should be no problems. Following a court battle in 2001 that made it illegal to ban motorcyclists on toll roads, the DPWH issued County Order 123, which limited the toll ban to motorcycles 400cc and over – the main motorcycle displacement prevailing at the time. If you`ve been driving on one of the highways for a few weeks, you`ve probably noticed that more and more two-wheelers are passing you. Have you ever wondered why only 400cc motorcycles are allowed on highways? For motorists, it is crucial to go beyond the pure appearance of the vehicle. While 400cc motorcycles are allowed on highways, make no mistake, there are motorcycles that look like big motorcycles but have a displacement of less than 400cc but are still allowed on highways. This is not only a violation of the law, but also a safety risk for drivers and drivers of other vehicles. Because just because it looks like a big bike doesn`t mean it belongs on highways! The order was issued to ensure the safety of commuters crossing all major highways in the country and calls on the public to be vigilant against violations of the ban.
The other motorcycles homologated by KTM are the RC 390 in the Supersport category.